


Alex Mercer and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Closet

by APhantomAndHerPen



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex Mercer Comes Out (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Bisexual Julie Molina, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:01:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28420602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APhantomAndHerPen/pseuds/APhantomAndHerPen
Summary: Alex swore Luke and Reggie to secrecy the moment he met Willie. Mostly, it was just to keep Julie from finding out about Alex’s crush, and that was because the drummer hadn’t told her that he was gay.Or: Alex is afraid to come out to Julie, but it looks like Willie accidentally does it for him.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina, Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 313





	Alex Mercer and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Closet

**Author's Note:**

> I just had this bouncing around my brain and decided to type it out. Hope you enjoy it! I do requests for anyone that enjoys my writing style for some reason, but I make no promises to write it, just because I do have classes and work, and there's definitely topics and situations I'm not qualified or comfortable writing about.
> 
> Just a reminder that positive comments and kudos are always appreciated, and not just on this work. If you like it, let the author know. You just might make their day!

Alex swore Luke and Reggie to secrecy the moment he met Willie. Mostly, it was just to keep Julie from finding out about Alex’s crush, and that was because the drummer hadn’t told her that he was gay. So, to avoid letting that slip, he made sure his bandmates talked about Willie minimally, and when they did, he was strictly a ghost friend. Definitely not anything more.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Julie enough to tell her. It was just horridly daunting to have to come out. He’d barely made it through telling Luke and Reggie – and Bobby, but Alex was really trying his best to forget about his existence, at least for the time being - and those were guys he’d known since elementary school. They were practically brothers.

Contrary to what people might think, Alex had never seen Luke and Reggie as anything but brothers. Reggie wasn’t his type, plain and simple, and despite finding Luke attractive, he’d never actually been attracted to him. Not like he had Houston in eighth grade, Preston in sophomore year, or Tanner in the summer of ’94. But that was a tangent for another breakdown.

Ultimately, Alex knew it came down to the product of his time. The nineties were definitely not a great time to be gay, and that was to put it lightly. On top of that, his parents had taken the news poorly. He hadn’t even meant to tell them, either. Rumors had started to circle about him and one had reached his parents. At the time, he’d thought that when they confronted him about it, telling them the truth was the best course of action and that everything would be okay. He’d never known his parents to be anything but loving towards him.

Looking back, he really should have known better.

Alex had shown up to the studio with two bags slung over his shoulders that same night, his eyes puffed and reddened. Seemingly permanent tears were etched into his cheeks. He’d fallen into Luke and Reggie, then, and that was when he timidly told them what had happened. Terrified he’d get kicked from the one place he thought he could always go, he’d closed his eyes and waited for the anger. He braced himself for whatever negative reaction they had, but it never came. Instead, he was being hugged tighter, consoled a little softer, and assured that he was loved for who he was.

He had never stopped thanking the universe for giving him Luke and Reggie as family, even so many years later. Rightfully, Alex had a hard time extending the trust and love he had for them to anyone else, but he found himself wanting desperately to give it to Julie, too. He’d been thanking the universe for her, too. She’d become the sister Reggie never had and someone who made Luke want to be his best self.

But telling Julie had drawbacks. He wanted to trust her, sure, but that was a want. Alex didn’t know what being gay was like in present times, and he had no idea how Julie personally felt. Asking her seemed too straightforward, and honestly, he’d probably combust trying to get it out. If he told her and she reacted badly, Alex could lose her. His brothers could lose her. They’d lose the band, their new friend, their second chance. They’d lose everything.

“Alex,” someone sing-songed. At his name, Alex’s mind came back from the spiral of his thoughts. He blinked at Reggie, who was waving his hand in front of his face in amusement.

“Finally. Thought you were totally locked up in there.” The bassist gently prodded Alex’s forehead. “Just wanted to tell you that while you were lost in thought, Willie came by to test something out.”

Willie’s name had Alex tensing. “He did?” He’s acutely aware of how that sounded coming out of his mouth, his tone a mix of fondness and panic.

Reggie nodded, glancing back at the studio doors. He hummed, eyebrows furrowing. “I want to say he went up to the house, but I’m not entirely sure. I think he went to find Julie, actually. I think he wants to see if she can see him.”

At Julie’s name, the drummer paled. “Willie is most definitely not in on the plan,” he rushed hoarsely, getting up from the couch.

“Alex, man, I know you’re crazy nervous about coming out again, but honestly, I don’t think Julie’s going to react badly,” Reggie tried to soothe. His expression went soft, and he stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. “She seems really accepting of everyone.”

Alex laughed ruefully. “But do you know that?” he asked, pushing his fingers through his hair. The look he shot Reggie was full of downright fear, making concern flood Reggie’s features. “Do you know if she’ll be alright with me? Because if she isn’t, it ruins everything. Do you realize how much of a linchpin this is?” He huffed out a breath. “Julie reacts badly, and then we lose her, we lose the band, and we lose our second chance. That’s it. That’s how the dominos fall.”

He didn’t realize the extent of his panic until not only Reggie but Luke was standing in front of him. “Hey, dude, you’re going to be fine,” Luke murmured, ducking his head until he could get Alex to meet his eyes. He flinched a little when their hands brushed his arms, but he didn’t move away, letting them ground him again.

Alex closed his eyes, taking a few deep breathes before opening them again. “I don’t want to lose her,” he told them softly. A tear slipped down his cheek, gaze blurred.

“You’re not going to,” Luke assured him, gently clapping his arm. "You're a crazy good drummer and one hell of a guy. She'd be dumb not to accept you when your sexuality is only a small part of who you are." He grinned, and Alex felt himself calm considerably. His chest didn’t feel nearly as constricted, relief flushing through his system.

Reggie beamed at him. “Julie’s the sweetest. She’d never judge you based off something like liking guys.” He glanced behind Alex, lighting up even more. “Speaking of Julie.”

Their singer opened the studio doors excitedly. “Guys, guess what?” she bubbled. She practically bounced inside, her face lit up.

She opened her mouth to continue when Willie darted around her. “Babe, she can see me!” He launched himself at Alex, jumping up into his arms. “I haven’t been seen by anyone outside the club in so damn long. And she can touch me, too! Isn’t that awesome?” His energy dimmed, his smile drooping when he notices Alex’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

Alex looked between Willie in his arms and Julie at the studio doors. His mouth opened and closed before he gave a hesitant grin. “So I’m gay?” It wasn’t really a question, but it definitely came out like one, his voice squeaky and higher pitched than it should have been.

Reggie and Luke tensed up, both of their gazes flicking to Julie. They adored her and knew with an almost surety that she wouldn’t even bat an eyelash, but there was still the possibility. If it came down to it, Alex was without a doubt their priority, and seeing them so protective helped to shove down his bubbling anxiety. While Reggie was definitely on guard, his looked to be slight, more as a precaution than anything. Luke was the one that had stiffened to stone. It made sense to Alex, since he knew his friend had a soft spot for Julie. If she wasn’t accepting of Alex, it made his situation terrible.

He wasn’t expecting the bright grin that took over Julie’s features. She moved closer to him, oblivious to Luke and Reggie’s tense postures. “Thank you for telling me. Even though it looks like you didn’t have much of a choice.” Her gaze flicked to Willie, who went red and sheepishly got down from Alex’s arms.

“Sorry. I, uh, didn’t even think.” Willie’s voice was soft and apologetic, and he hesitantly twined their fingers to squeeze them.

Alex’s heart nearly stopped. His eyes widen, hope making him jittery. Squeezing Willie’s fingers back, he stared at Julie, his lips starting to pull into a grin. “You’re okay with it? With us?” Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Luke slump in relief and Reggie beam knowingly.

“Of course, I am! Willie’s a total sweetheart,” she said, sitting down at the piano bench. She braced her hands on it, leaning forward. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure who he was at first and about hit him with a pillow.” She laughed, though the happy sound died out when she noticed everyone’s expressions. It’s steadily replaced with something akin to horror. “Were you scared I was going to think differently of you?”

Alex’s silence must speak volumes because she got up, crossing to him and wrapping her arms around him. Willie stepped back to allow Alex to timidly hug her in return. His arms hold her to him loosely. She pulled away after a bit, and as much as Alex was unaccustomed to her touch, he found himself wanting the hug all over again. “Whoever told you that your sexuality defines your worth to someone else was awful, and you didn’t deserve it.” Her lip wobbled. “I could never think differently of you because of something like this. Never.”

Disbelief shone bright on his face before he’s grinning widely and hugging Julie back to him. “Thanks, Jules,” he murmured gratefully. With the stress and worry leaving, his body felt boneless, and he sagged into her happily.

When she pulled back this time, she was beaming. “You’re welcome. Willie knows he’s more than welcome to come around here as much as he likes as long as I never walk in on anything over PG-13,” she teased, winking and laughing when his cheeks colored.

“I told you Julie would be cool about it,” Reggie piped up from the couch. He was smirking at them with his arms folded casually. Luke was next to him, silent for once in his life to just sit and watch them have their moment.

Julie snorted. “I mean, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to judge Alex for being gay when I’m bi.”

Luke leaned forward, curiosity piqued. “Bi?” It was one of the only things he'd said in the time since Julie came in. He was always subdued coming back from his parents' house, so Alex figured that's where he'd been the better party of the day.

Instead of Julie explaining, Reggie gets up and high-fives her. “Me, too!” He beams at Luke and Alex. “It’s short for bisexual. It means she likes multiple genders,” he stated proudly. “Like boys and girls, not just one or the other. Flynn’s been trying to update me.”

“I’m glad you went to her about it. She probably really appreciated you asking.” Julie nudged Reggie, who hummed and gave a goofy grin. She turned back to Alex, her features soft. “It’s not perfect by any means. There’s always going to be people who judge and discriminate. But it’s definitely better, and at the very least, you’re always going to be a part of my family. You’ve got me, my dad, and Carlos behind you one hundred percent.”

Alex took Willie’s hand again, running his thumb over his knuckles. “Thank you,” he told her genuinely, pure adoration in his tone.

She nodded. “I’m really sorry I didn’t talk to you guys about things like this. I forget there’s a lot for you guys to take in.” She looked between the four of them with a determined smile. “How about we start introducing you to current pop culture, starting with Love, Simon?”

Willie brightened, cheering and swinging Alex’s hand. “Hell, yes!” He kissed Alex’s cheek. “It’s going to be your favorite movie, hands down, just you wait.” He smiled, and the drummer gave him an adoring look, no longer scared to show just how gone he was for him.


End file.
